


the light skin of dark plains

by Vampire_goth_girl



Series: Mcu kink bingo (round3) [5]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, Battle of New York, Big Brother Thor, Chitauri Attack, Hulk has feelings, M/M, MCU Kink Bingo, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Midgard, Soulmate AU, Tattoos, Thor's gonna give banner a talk later, World Travel, hulk and Bruce share a soulmate, inner thoughts, mild Bruce angst, mild mentions to past Betty/bruce, new meaning to hulk punching Thor, set before hulk punch, soulmate animal tattoos, tattoo colour au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-06 21:51:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18397058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampire_goth_girl/pseuds/Vampire_goth_girl
Summary: Loki, Asgard's most accomplished magic user has many tattoos to represent his vast achivements and acquirements in the craft. Bruce banner has only one mark on his unwoundable skin, the same mark Loki has been waiting all his life to be filled with colour. Neither believe that their time will come until fate and a blonde haired god draw them together





	the light skin of dark plains

**Author's Note:**

> For tattoos, i2, square 7

Loki, prince of Asgard, silver tongue, Odinson, he is known by many names across many realms. To some he is a trickster, to others a powerful mage or stage magician. An illusionist who's power is present with each earned mark upon his skin. The runes upon his ribs show each level of magic he has excelled and passed, the charms wrapping his wrists are protective in nature, the multitude of animals both familiar and spirit that litter his skin are loyal companions just awaiting to be called upon. Each splash of ink upon his skin represents something he's earned, all except for the tattoo on his chest which is dull and blank still awaiting the day it becomes vibrant with meaning and the colours of life

Stepping from the green shimmer of fire back into his bedroom, Loki removes his cloak and carefully sets down his pouch of recently acquired rare ingredients. A tired sigh leaves his lips as he removes his shirt, travelling in such a way took it's toll. His eyes as they always do find his chest, drawn to the dull picture there, the same picture that had been there his whole life and hadn't once changed no matter how Loki differed, what tattoos he gained or what realms he dared to visit. He could close his eyes and trace his cursed flesh from memory alone, yet his mind has never filled in the blank with colour as if even it couldn't fathom the depicted picture as anything but dull and lifeless. Hidden amongst his other works of art it would be easy to lose yet Loki could not forget a single detail of his first tattoo. The large brown bear who's ears reached his collarbone and the commanding way that it stood above the stump at his top rib, a snake wrapped slim and deceptive around the tree stump before it. A small raccoon was perched in the bears shadow on top of the stump, it's mask hidden in the contrasting tone of light

He draws his gaze from the mirror with slight force, it does no well to dwell on such things especially in his tired state. He blinks, tries not to wonder when he opened his eyes and continues with the mundane motions of changing. He could do it with a simple snap of his nimble fingers but he found pulling on the soft sleep pants comforting, the motions relaxing in a hypnotic way that pulled him from his thoughts and further into sleep as he fell into the soft bed, easily sinking down. The sleep that found him was that of a blank exhaustion, dreamless and quickly fleeting with the loud annoying bang of familiarity

Loki woke to Thor entering his room as he always does, loud and without preamble, leaving the younger of the two to rub tiredly at his eyes as he sat up to locate the head of golden fury rushing about in what seemed to be excitement. He couldn't be sure though as his ears were only now just tuning into Thor's seemingly endless ramble

"Ah, brother! Good, your awake" Thor's beaming smile seemed to triple and glow as a mostly green pile of clothes similar to the ones he had removed meer hours ago, a scant two if Loki was to guess correctly, landed by him on the soft silk bedspread. Loki frowned with annoyance though Thor didn't seem to notice, probably due to his sleep riddled expression being the same as his usual morning expression when Thor barged into his room making it impossible to sleep and greeting an annoyed Loki with that same sunny disposition. It was usual, familiar and yet today seemed different as the older god sat by his covered thigh on the bed. Thor looked more like an excited Midgardian puppy then usual today and Loki immediately had a bad feeling as to why, with a groan he fell back into the bed

Thor's disappointment was pliable as he said Loki's name and so careful shook his smaller frame with his much larger one "brother please", even Loki was not completely immune to that whine. He sighed, removing his arm from where it had been covering his eyes and drew them to Thor's hopeful ones, Loki still found it odd just how easy it was to spark that emotion there. Thor took the look for what is was and with his smile a new, eagerly continued

Loki could of said no, should of said no, maybe it was the lack of sleep or the pout Thor pulled when he saw Loki frown but either way he had agreed to go to Midgard with Thor, he had more important things to do then meet his brothers mortal friends like sleep or work with his recently acquired ingredients but Loki already knew he'd be able to do neither sleep nor concentrate until they came back and Thor went on his agreed three day hunting trip to Alfheim to acquire some ingredients Loki didn't really need. He shook his head to try and listen into what Thor was saying, it sounded like useless excited ramble but who knew maybe it would be important to him later though Loki doubted it

By the time they were on horseback heading for the bifrost because Thor had insisted upon it, Loki had mostly convinced himself that the quiet break from Thor would be well worth this little day time trip to Midgard. This little annoyance he had decided as they greeted Heimdall would pass quickly and be an event well forgotten unlike his time of upcoming silence. Landing on the roof of a building in what Thor had called New York shook that resolve just a little with his queasiness, he really shouldn't of put off using the bifrost for so long. The first mishap of the day saw him sitting down and Loki realised rather quickly that this day was going to be a lot longer then he originally expected or intended

Regretting things wasn't Loki's style, however he could deeply begrudge things, like the fact that he got out of bed this morning, let Thor drag him off world or even the fact that he chose to return home at all, he could of easily completed his task if he'd stayed put, at least that's what he's currently telling himself. Of course he's also currently meeting Thor's recently acquired new mortal friend's, a collection of odd personalities who like to play dress up and hero with Thor and apparently call themselves 'the avengers.' Loki gets lost after the third code name and quickly names each from what he sees and cares enough to remember. There's the hawk, an archer and the widow his scarlet haired friend, the captain called Steve and Tony, who owns a suit and if to be believed half of New York and also a Bruce, an earth scientist with a temper who is currently working in the labs. Loki is relieved at that fact, given how the other avengers appear he has little interest in meeting another, no matter Thor's assurances of their apparent compatibility for friendship. It's almost a relief when an alarm goes off halfway through Tony's endless words, at least until the disembodied voice tells them the situation and Thor gets that look on his face

It's no surprise to Loki when after Tony leaves in a flash of red and gold, and the captain has gone to collect the unknown Bruce that Thor announces "come brother" before leaping through the closest window. It shatters like Loki's idea of this being easy but still he waits only a moment before following his dear brother into battle

Bruce was doing what he did most days, locking himself in Tony's 'Bruce exclusive' labs to work on various cures or treatments that were doomed to fail, all while trying to avoid his own mind and the creature connected to it, like most days, he was failing. His focus had long since gone from the task in front of him to the reflective surface of the labs window wall. Even in the dank lighting that Bruce had currently requested he could see his clear skin like a puzzle with many missing pieces. His skin was soft and unblemished, every old wound he'd ever acquired healed along with each new one, all except for the large tattoo covering his middle back. It was like a taunt and Bruce has never been more grateful for it's placing then the day after the accident, at least this way he hardly ever had to look at it. However he could never forget the large brown bear walking along the river, the raccoon that walked on the other side or the serpent hidden within the clear depths between them. Vaguely he wondered not for the first time what colour the snake was destined to be and shook his head for it, not for the first or last time did he have to remind himself why he would never see it in colour

Instead he turns back to the microscope and let's another memory in, a giggle, soft laughter, the brush of dark hair and shimmer of pale skin in summer sunlight, Betty. It's a no better topic but he doesn't pull away, instead immersing himself in the golden sunshine and pure happiness behind Betty's laugh, just how long had it been

Bruce had always known that Betty wasn't his one, her tattoo didn't match up to his. She had a lion with a robin in it's mane on her right upper thigh, when he had met her it was already full of beautiful colour and without a single drop of grey or missing piece to signify the death of her soulmate. Bruce had never asked about it and Betty had never spoken about it, it had been easy and despite knowing all of it they had been happy, against all odds that said otherwise he truly thought that she could be his one. Then the accident happened and every dream he had of the future came crashing down in a green rage

Thankfully he doesn't get to think long on it because a distant alarm reaches his ears and he's just about to ask Jarvis what's going on when he sees Steve coming down the hall. He meets the jogging super soilder at the door where he gets the basics, a wormhole opened up in the middle of New York and an alien race called the chitari are attacking. It's a good enough excuse as any to give in to the rage as Steve moves onto explaining where the Hulk's most needed and about the presence of Thor's little brother Loki, another friendly. Bruce's brain drifts however as the Hulk starts to wake up wondering just why Steve's here telling him this and not Tony, but then he remembers, their fighting

Skin gives way from pale to green, from toned to the rippling muscles the Hulk is known for. Bruce gives way to the bane of his existence and as his shirt shreds, to the cause of seemingly all his problems. For there on the Hulk's chest is the very thing Tony mentioned, the very thing their fighting over, Hulk's own very familiar soulmate tattoo. The uncoloured tattoo is exposed in a way Bruce never allows his own to be anymore, large brown bear proudly displayed up on it's hind legs, the smaller raccoon perched high up on one shoulder while the slim snake is twined around the wrist of the bear's other paw seemingly unafraid of it's sharp claws. Hulk let's out a deadly roar, pushes down the familiar feelings of panic from Banner and drags his eyes briefly over the special spot on his upper chest. The one Banner thinks he shouldn't have, the one Banner fears but that Hulk knows is his own and is deeply treasured by him. He feels his anger fade and when Banner is clear enough to hear again he drags his gaze away, the earth needs saving, Hulk is needed to save it, this is Hulk's time now, not puny Banner's

Loki couldn't believe that he'd been dragged into this, his eyes flicked to his side where Thor was currently fighting and internally groaned, actually no, he could believe that Thor had dragged him into yet another situation. What he couldn't believe was that he was actually stupid enough not only to let it happen again but to be ignorant enough to think this trip would be simple and easy, nothing with Thor was ever simple or easy, not even a trip to a world like Midgard. Using his seidr to create clones, Loki calls forth a bear and an eagle from the familiars painted upon his flesh. It takes a vulnerable moment for them to emerge and turn from ink to corporeal flesh but with the identical clones surrounding him as a distraction Loki is safe long enough to set them free. With his familiars both fighting and keeping watch, Loki forms a dagger in each hand and jumps into the fray alongside himself

Fighting is far more exhausting then usual and Loki blames that on a few things, the biggest being his oaf of a big brother Thor, who is fighting several feet away, a grin he only wears while having fun in the midst of battle plastered on his face. He looks like he's having the time of his life and Loki finds it hard to hate him when he sends that look his way, even if it is only briefly. Annoyingly, Loki shifts the blame to a source still linked to Thor, if only partially, rather then blame him directly. Placing the blame on lack of sleep and his recent exhaustion caused by his latest quest for special ingredient's. Begrudgingly he remembers the amount of times he had to use his powers just to keep the planets inhabitant's away from him as he starts to feel the physical strain on his magic. Weakened, Loki's illusions begin to flicker uselessly, giving truth to which one of him is really killing their own and making him far more vulnerable to attack. He drops the clones when he realises this, conserving his energy for the bear at his back and the eagle watching overhead. Taking direction from it's sight, Loki focuses on the task at hand, hoping that Thor isn't dead yet as a horde of chitauri surround him. That thought dies as a loud banging heads towards him and then switches when a deafening roar is heard, a distinctive sound that does not belong to Thor and makes everyone freeze

Hulk roars with pure rage as he smashes through yet another puny group of alien soldier's. He had been on his way to help the currently surrounded golden god and his younger brother when he'd spotted it. A bird that wasn't Hulk's bird man friend and then a faintly green glowing man with midnight hair and green eyes. A pretty green that reminded Hulk of the trees, not like Hulk's own colour but that's not what had made him so angry that Banner was all but silent. It was the sight he caught as the man too disappeared amongst the alien horde, a rip of his clothing that glimpsed something far more familiar then the bear at his back, it was the matching part of something Hulk cherishes dearly

Smashing his way through the puny creatures is far more important then just having fun or saving earth, this time it's about saving him, saving Hulk's mate. The first thing to drop is the bird, Hulk sees it go out of the corner or his eye as Thor grunts, struggling nearby. Worry sets in, prompting Banner's return as the familiar bear let's out a low drawn out sound before doubling over and disappearing. It had been holding back the worst of the horde but now Loki, because Hulk remembered his important ones name, was utterly consumed. However Hulk relentlessly continued forward, smashing, throwing and pushing his way through until he finally reached a small curled up ball. His large feet gently brushed against Loki and he felt a shock go through him as he picked up the last chitauri in a large fist and threw it much harder then needed at the closest wall

Fear then curiosity fill the one green eye that opens to stop him in place but the call of Thor has them both looking away. Hulk hits the side of his head with anger but then leaps from the building edge to the adjacent one where Thor is currently over run, leaving behind what he knows is his one to help the other god

Loki blinks blurry eyes as a large green shape jumps off in the direction of Thor's anxious voice. His body hurts in a way it hasn't since he was a child just starting to discover his magic and because of it, often becoming a choice victim for older boys unable to best his brother. It reminds him of weak moments long since past and best left forgotten as he struggles to his feet. The dull ache subsides as the world sways but he concentrates on two moving figures, much larger then the dull grey blurs around them and slowly the fight comes into focus. In the building just across, Loki can see Thor alive and well, but his brother safe and relatively unharmed is not what captures his attention, rather it is the splendid beastal creature fighting alongside him. The large green beast draws his attention in a way no other has before, like a spell of magnetism, Loki can not look away as he vaguely wonders at the back of his mind if this could be the elusive Dr Banner. Then the creatures eyes slide to him and Loki is stunned by them

A sharp pain in his chest is the only distraction capable of drawing his gaze away from the large green man, his eyes widen at the burning sensation and immediately look down, pulling at his already torn clothing to find and inspect the problem. Colour, so vibrant that it makes him gasp, is filling in on his chest and completing the picture that has for so long been blank there. His favourite shade of green is prominent in the piece, most noticeably in the bear's eyes and covering the body of the snake. He's so distracted by it that he doesn't notice that anything's wrong until he looks up to see fear in both blurry males eyes but Loki definetly feels the blast that sends him flying out of one of the tall building's previously unbroken windows with a shattering rain of glass

Hulk had watched with pleased fascination as his mates tattoo, placed opposite to his own, filled in with colour. It was a beautiful distraction from the pain in his own chest or silence of Banner in his head after the initial horror, then he saw the alien he had smashed earlier stand up behind his seemingly overjoyed mate and not even the beauty of his teary green eyes could distract him then. He saw the blast, the glass shattering loudly in his ears nothing compared to Banner's scream of 'no' in his head as they watched him fall, and despite the fact that he could feel Banner unintentionally taking back control, he jumped out after him

Falling towards the ground at high speed Hulk could feel himself becoming smaller with each passing second that gravity pulled him closer. However it didn't stop him from clinging to control, slamming his fist into the side of the building and with one last desperate effort, leaping to catch his mate in midair before he hits the rapidly approaching street. He rolls to cover the small god against his chest as his rapidly shrinking body impacts with the gods just before hitting the glass and then the office buildings floor

Loki is falling, flying towards the earth's ground without Thor to help him or anything left in his reserves to stop himself or even slow his fall. Then the ground was no longer below him, there was a shatter and a softer then expected impact as they went through a building window. Groaning Loki placed a hand on the chest beneath him and sat up, blinking with fascination down at the rapidly shrinking creature that had saved him as he turned from green to a more common Midgardian colour

Hulk gives way to Bruce's disbelief and when the scientist is finally back in control all he can seem to do is blink up at the god above him. A god who is very much his own, one who shares the same soulmark that he shares with the beast. Their eyes meet and while Bruce had come to hate the colour green, he can not tear his eyes away from the beautiful emerald's that trap him. As Loki seems to get closer, leaning down Banner realises, they are brought back to reality by a loud clap of thunder. Thor, god of said element and over protective older brother of Loki, stands over them, a seemingly strained smile on his face as he pulls his younger sibling from his spot, straddeling Bruce's thighs, back up onto his own slender legs. Bruce has enough sense of mind to flush a deep scarlet when the god sets him with a slight glare before wrapping his free arm around Loki and announcing "the battle rages on without us dear brother." After that and a swing of mjolnir, Thor disappears with his newfound soulmate, one that Banner believed he'd never find, out the broken window and back into the midst of battle, leaving him to his thoughts. Bruce had a feeling however that he was going to regret something later as he stands back up, only now noticing the broken glass lodged in his arm. His elbow is bleeding but there's no real pain, adrenaline or the other guys close surface presence, Banner doesn't know which. Stretching out he hears a low content growl of "we can take him" and Bruce actually smirks, he has a feeling that Hulk is talking about Thor. Sighing he slowly starts to give back into the rage, thinking about Thor leaving with Loki is enough and Banner watches as his hands grow, becoming green. "Sure you can" he responds as he once again let's the Hulk loose, after all they still have a battle to win

**Author's Note:**

> I saw captain marvel a few days ago and saw avengers endgame last night, non-spoilers below. Honestly it didn't live up to it's hype, the beginning was to fast, the storyline was predictable for the most part and while there where some really good parts (especially for certain characters) the end was rather anticlimactic and left me with a what/why feeling rather then a wow. It was good but for what it should of been personally I feel it wasn't enough (many in the cinema seemed to agree with me especially since we had an 11:30pm opening day to almost 3am time.) It wasn't a bad movie though I do think it should of been so much better especially after everything that built up to it
> 
>    
> I'm open to discussion (warnings for spoilers and anyone just looking to argue not discuss will find their comment deleted) and suggestions for what square to write for next
> 
> I had planned to do a normal tattoo kink with some mild piercing kink to balance it out, you know normal stuff and then my sleep deprived brain went here and I thought why not


End file.
